GSC EVENTS – SAVE THE DATEGlobal Solar Council Board Meeting SNEC Shanghai, China May 25, 2016

Global Solar Council Networking EventSNEC Shanghai, China May 25, 2016

Global Solar Council Board Meeting Intersolar Munich, Germany June 23, 2016

Global Solar Council Leadership Forum Intersolar Munich, Germany June 23, 2016

Global Solar Strategy Committee Meeting Intersolar Munich, Germany June 23, 2016

Global Solar Council Networking Event Intersolar Munich, Germany June 23, 2016

Global Solar Council Board meetingSolar Power International, Las Vegas, USA September 12, 2016

Global Solar Council Annual MeetingPVCEC, Beijing, China October 18, 2016

INAUGURAL ISSUE

NEWSGROUP NEWSThe Global Solar Council – The first 100 daysThe Global Solar Council (GSC) was launched on December 6th at COP21 in Paris by the leading regional and national solar associations to unify the solar power sector at an international level, share best practices and accelerate global market developments. Many corporations have subsequently become members.

The timing of the launch could not have been better given the historic COP 21 agreement and realisa-tion by all parties that solar can now play a hugely important role in the international efforts to ultimately eliminate carbon emissions from the power sector. This marks a new era in the development of solar power on its path to become the world’s largest source of electricity generation.

With strong, motivated and highly influential Board members and expert leadership of Secretary Gen-eral John Smirnow, we have hit the ground running - helping to shape the future of the global energy market through advocacy, thought leadership and networking. We are already working closely with important international governmental institutions including the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), International Solar Alliance, United Nations and the World Bank / International Finance Corpo-ration (IFC), as well as numerous national governments and other key stakeholders.

The goal is to encourage fast and wide-scale adoption of solar power through cooperation, education and training, ensuring it becomes the principal source of electricity generation of the 21st Century, and thereby deliver enormous social, economic and environmental benefits:

1. Solar power is already one of the cheapest forms of electricity globally and prices continue to de-cline fast. The levelised cost of solar electricity is 80% lower than it was during COP-15 in 2009. Solar provides a cost-effective means of fighting climate change today.

2. Solar power is the most versatile form of electricity generation and can be deployed anywhere in the world for the people of developing and developed countries alike. It has great potential for poverty alleviation and rural electrification. Solar also has the highest share of popular support of any elec-tricity technology.

3. To avoid a greater than 2ºC increase in global temperatures, it is imperative to strongly accelerate the deployment of solar power. A 10% share of global power generation by 2030, from less than 1% today, is certainly possible given the right market conditions.

In this inaugural year, we will focus on building institutional capacity, developing key partnerships and issuing a series of actionable policy recommendations.

The founding associations are national and regional solar organisations from both established and emerging markets, including the world’s largest markets of Australia, China, Europe, India and other Asian countries, Middle East, South America and the United States. The GSC provides a coordinated, international voice on behalf of these organizations.

APRIL 2016

Global Solar Council NEWS GROUP NEWS 2

First steps for Global Solar CouncilLaunched on the fringes of the COP21 climate talks in Paris in December, the Global Solar Council has wasted no time in getting down to the task at hand.The council is the global solar industry’s first international representative body and has set itself a goal of boosting the adoption of solar worldwide through cooperation, education and training.Speaking to PV Tech last week, the council’s inaugural secretary-general, John Smirnow, formerly of the US Solar Energy Industries Association, outlined some of the first steps the council has taken towards fulfilling its objectives.

Smirnow said the council had forged its first two significant partnerships, with the International Renewable Energy Agency and the Global Solar Alliance, the body set up by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at the end of last year.

Smirnow said he and the council’s chairman, Bruce Douglas, had attended the second steering committee of the solar alliance. “We’re in discussion with the international solar alliance about working with them. So we’re plugged in at a high level there.”

He said the council had also been appointed to IRENA’s Coalition for Action, a stakeholder group that works to bolster public support for renewable energy. The coalition has established a solar-specific sub-committee, which Smirnow said he would chair.

“We’re just getting started, but the idea is that that group will develop some joint recommendations, and that fits really well with what the global solar council is going to work on this year. So in our inaugural year, we’re going to work on a set of recommendations to governments, to international institutions on both solar capacity building and solar deployment.” Smirnow said.

The basis for these recommendations will come from a series of round-table events the council will host at the big solar industry events throughout 2015 – first SNEC in China, then Intersolar Europe in June, Brazil Solar Power in July, Solar Power International in the US in September and then PVCEC in China in October.

“Each of these events will have a theme – whether it’s innovation, manufacturing, policy,” said Smirnow. “It will bring together industry, government, other stakeholder groups, at a high level, and convene a dialogue.”

On the two themes for the recommendations – deployment and capacity building – Smirnow said: “Deployment, it’s about getting solar installed where it doesn’t exist today. And that’s very general – that’s marshalling financial resources and manufacturing capacity.

“There’s also an important element to deploying solar more locally, and that’s capacity building. It’s one thing to build a 100MW solar array; it’s relatively easy to do, you don’t need a lot of local technical expertise, you can bring in the expertise for that. But once you start deploying more at the local level, you’re having lot more touch points with the existing infrastructure, the utilities, the regulators on the ground.

”In our inaugural year, we’re going to work on a set of recommendations to governments, to international institutions on both solar capacity building and solar deployment”

“For countries that haven’t yet fully engaged in solar, there’s going to be a huge need for local capacity building, whether that’s technical expertise, building relationships with local energy providers, local government. And that’s going to be an important focus for the Global Solar Council: to utilise our network of technical expertise to help build solar capacity at the local level.”

The council already has 50 national associations on its books, with plans to attract more as it extends its scope, Smirnow said.

“Already I have five or six countries, organisations in Africa that are eager to get some help in building a solar assoc and what they should focus on. So as associations we want to help each other grow and share the knowledge, the technical expertise, the lessons learned from some of the more established associations with some of the new, younger associations and help grow associations that don’t even exist today.”

In its first year, Smirnow said the council’s main objective would be to bed in, grow its membership and identify on what and with whom it will focus its efforts.

“The challenge for us is to not over-commit,” Smirnow said. “There are a thousand opportunities and we really need to focus on the ones that are going to make the most difference to the industry and put the industry in the best position possible to make a difference, to accelerate the deployment of solar.”

This article first appeared in PV TECH Online, by Ben Willis at www.pv-tech.org, and is reprinted here with permission.

John Smirnow, left, with IRENA director-general, Adnan Amin, middle, and GSC chairman Bruce Douglas. Image: GSC.

Global Solar Council NEWS GROUP NEWS 3

Founding Association Members

Founding Corporate Members

Global Solar Council NEWS GROUP NEWS 4

Global Solar Council Membership“With the assistance of our visionary founding members, we’ll focus our efforts on accelerating the deployment of clean, reliable, emissions-free solar energy worldwide. Not only will this help us secure a safer and healthier planet, it will result in the creation of hundreds of thousands of new, high quality jobs as solar continues to be an engine of economic growth throughout the world. We encourage other solar associations and corporations from around the world to join our mission.” John SmirnowSecretary General

For membership information, please contact: Global Solar Council1717 K Street, NW, Suite 1120Washington, DC 20006, USAjsmirnow@globalsolarcouncil.org+1.202.213.6084www.globalsolarcouncil.org

Growing Solar Energy Around the WorldOur goal is to champion the rapid and wide-scale adoption of solar energy through cooperation, education and training.The principal members of the organization are national and regional solar associations from both established and emerging markets, including the world’s largest markets of Australia, China, Europe, India and other Asian countries, Middle East, South America and the United States.Leading corporations across the solar supply chain also help lead the organization through the Global Solar Council Leadership Forum.

Executive CommitteeChairmanBruce Douglas, Solar Power Europe

Co-ChairmanGianni Chianetta, ITALIA SOLARE

Jifan Gao, China PV Industry Association

José Donoso, UNEF

Pranav Mehta, National Solar Energy Federation of India

Zhu Gong Shan, Asian PV Industry Association

Secretary-GeneralJohn Smirnow

SecretaryEitan Parnass, Green Energy Association of Israel

TreasurerBryan Ekus, SOLARUNITED

Board of DirectorsZhu Gong Shan, Chief Chairman, Asian PV Industry Association

Steve Blume, President, Australian Solar Council

Jörg Mayer, Managing Director, BSW

Dr. Rodrigo Lopes Sauaia, Executive Director, Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association

Marcelo Alvarez, President, Camara Argentina de Energia Renovable

Jifan Gao, Chairman, China PV Industry Association

Arnaud Mine, President, Solar Branch (SOLER) French Renewable Energy Association

David Renne, President, International Solar Energy Society

Eitan Parnass, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Green Energy Association of Israel

Pranav Mehta, Chairman, National Solar Energy Federation of India

Gianni Chianetta, Director, ITALIA SOLARE

Imtiaz Mahtab, President, Middle East Solar Industry Association

Rhone Resch, President & CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association

Bruce Douglas, Chief Operating Officer, Solar Power Europe

Bryan Ekus, Executive Director, SOLARUNITED

Dr. Peng Heng Chang, Secretary General, Taiwan PV Industry Association (Chinese Taipei)

José Donoso, Director General, UNEF

Global Solar Council NEWS GROUP NEWS 5

Secretary General - John SmirnowJohn Smirnow is Secretary General of the Global Solar Council. From 2011 to 2015, John served as Vice President for Trade & Competitiveness at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). During his tenure at SEIA, John led the organization’s efforts to resolve the U.S.-China solar trade conflict and codes and standards and sustainability initiatives. John also served as Chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee and Member of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, Juris Doctor from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School and LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Board of Directors - Bruce Douglas - Chairman SolarPower EuropeBruce Douglas has been working in renewable energy for 20 years and is currently the Chief Operating Officer of SolarPower Europe, a member-led association based in Brussels representing organizations active along the whole solar value chain. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer at the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) for 10 years, founding Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Managing Director of FLiDAR, an offshore wind startup company, which he led to profitability and exit over four years. He has a Master of Renewable Energy Systems Technology and is fluent in English and French.

Board of Directors - Gong Shan Zhu - Co-Chairman Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA)Gong Shan Zhu is Chairman of the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association. He is also Chairman of Golden Concord Holdings Limited (GCL) and Founder and Honorary Chairman of GCL Sun Charity Foundation. Chairman Zhu’s leader-ship includes serving as a Member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Jifan Gao - Co-Chairman China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA)Jifan Gao is Chairman of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association. He is also the Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Trina Solar, which he founded in December 1997. Mr. Gao serves as Vice President of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) and is a founding member of the Private Sector Advisory Board for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Mr. Gao received his Master of Physical Chemistry from Jilin University in 1988 and his Bachelor of Chemistry from Nanjing University in 1985.

Gianni Chianetta - Co-Chairman ITALIA SOLAREGianni Chianetta is Head of International Affairs at ITALIA SOLARE. He is also Chairman of The Green Consulting Group and of the Greening the Islands Conferences. Gianni has been a leading figure in the energy sector since 2002. He was External Affairs Director for BP Italia and then Managing Director for BP Solar Italia. Gianni served as Presi-dent of Assosolare (Italian PV Industry Association) for three consecutive terms. He has negotiated the five Feed-in Tariffs arrangements with the Government which have caused the PV installed capacity to grow from 0,035 GW to more than 18 GW. In 2007, Gianni founded the Global Network of National PV Associations (NNPVA), which assist-ed in the development of the Global Solar Council. He has a degree in Mechanical & Management Engineering and master’s degree at: Middlesex University (London); Kellogg School of Management (Chicago); SDA Bocconi (Milan); Istituto de Empresa (Madrid).

Pranav Mehta - Co-Chairman National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI)A national scholar throughout his academic career, Pranav Mehta is India’s leading, nationally-recognized technocrat. He is Chairman of the National Solar Energy Federation of India and Solar Energy Association of Gujarat. Pranav is also a Board Member and Advisor to several leading national and multinational corporations with solar operations in India and held leadership positions at Reliance Petroleum Limited, Essar Group and Tata Iron and Steel Company.

José Donoso - Co-Chairman Unión Española Fotovoltaica (UNEF)José Donoso is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Unión Española Fotovoltaica (UNEF). He has extensive expe-rience in the field of renewable energy. From 1987 to 2001, he was Head of the Department of International Relations at the Institute for Diversification and Saving (IDAE). Mr. Donoso was also Director of Promotion and Director of Sector Development of Gamesa for more than ten years. Between 2008 and 2011, he was president of the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE). He is a Member of the Spanish Energy Club, the Association of European Energy Agencies (ENR) and the Mediterranean Association Energy Agency (MEDENER).

Bryan Ekus - Treasurer SOLARUNITEDBryan Ekus serves as the Executive Director of SOLARUNITED, formally IPVEA. He is also President of Colonial Pur-chasing Co-Op, LLC. Bryan serves on a number of International Management Boards. His experience includes early stage venture capital fundraising and developing and executing government relation strategies, focused on solar PV technology, energy storage and smart grid energy management. Bryan has more than 25-years of experience in the media manufacturing, data storage and video entertainment sectors.

Eitan Parnass - Secretary Green Energy Association of IsraelEitan Parnass is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of the Green Energy Association of Israel (GEA-IL), the main renewables lobbying group in Israel. Established in 2009, REAI promotes the implementation of renewable energy electricity production in Israel. Parnass has served as a Board Member to various non-governmental organizations and is currently serving as Board Member of the Israel Sustainable Energy Society. Eitan is also a public pro-sustain-ability activist involved in several initiatives to promote a sustainable economy in Israel.

Global Solar Council NEWS GROUP NEWS 6

Steve Blume - Member Australian Solar CouncilSteve Blume is the President of the Australian Solar Council. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of NoCarbon Pty Ltd., where he creates partnerships to plan, design and deliver large-scale commercial and community solar and re-newable energy projects. Steve is a former political adviser and private sector senior executive, policy creator, change management consultant, business manager and public servant. Steve’s mantra for solar and other renewables is “deployment, deployment, R&D, deployment! We have the means to build a 100% renewables future, we simply need the will!”

Dr. Rodrigo Lopes Sauaia - Member Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (ABSOLAR)Dr. Rodrigo Lopes Sauaia is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (ABSOLAR – Associação Brasileira de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica), the national association representing companies and professionals from the whole solar PV value chain with operations in Brazil. Dr. Sauaia also served as Coordinator of the Task Force on Taxation of the Brazilian PV Sector Group, organized by the Brazilian Electrical and Electronics Industry Association (Abinee).

Arnaud Mine - Member French Renewable Energy Association (SER)Arnaud Mine is a Founding Member and Administrator of the Renewable Energies Syndicate (SER) and President of the solar branch (SOLER). He is also the Founder and President of Urbasolar, a French solar PV developer. From 1991 to 2006, he was the creator and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of APEX Engineering SA (Montpellier), then CEO of APEX-BP Solar SA after the entry of British Petroleum Group in the company. He was also Vice President of BP Solar France/Africa/South America. Arnaud holds a PhD in industrial engineering.

Jörg Mayer - Member BSW-SolarJörg Mayer is the Managing Director of the German Solar Industry Association, BSW-Solar. Previously, Mayer served as Managing Director of Germany’s Renewable Energies Agency, a semi-public organization jointly sponsored by the Federal Government, trade associations and leading corporations in the German renewable energy sector. In this role, he led communications with the media and decision-makers about the potential of renewable energy in Germany. He is also a Member of the Board of Directors of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF).

David Renné - Member International Solar Energy Society (ISES)Dr. David Renné is currently in his second term as the President of the International Solar Energy Society. He retired from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2012, after more than two decades of developing and man-aging programs on renewable energy resource assessment and analysis, as well as the integration of resource data into the Geographic Information System (GIS). He currently holds an Emeritus position at NREL. Dr. Renné also serves as the Operating Agent of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Solar Heating and Cooling Programme Task 46, titled “Solar Resource Assessment and Forecasting.” He is Associate Editor of the Solar Energy Journal.

Imitiaz Mahtab - Member Middle East Solar Association (MESIA)Imtiaz Mahtab is President of the Middle East Solar Association. He is also Executive Vice President of Air Liquide Middle East and North Africa Electronics and an executive member of Air Liquide’s MENA management team. Imtiaz has over 17 years of senior leadership roles internationally in developing, managing and restructuring businesses, mainly in the energy and high-technology sectors. He also serves on the advisory board of various renewable energy and high-technology start-up corporations located throughout the MENA region

Rhone Resch - Member Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)Rhone Resch is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Solar Energy Industries Association, the nation-al trade organization for America’s solar energy industry. During his 10-year tenure at SEIA, the U.S. solar industry has experienced record-breaking growth, becoming one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States with more than 8,000 companies and more than 209,000 employees. As the head of SEIA, Rhone was instrumental in the creation and adoption of the 30 percent solar investment tax credit, the 1603 Treasury Program and scores of other forward-looking federal and state policies and programs.

Marcelo Alvarez - Member Cámara Argentina de Energia Renovable (CADER) Marcelo Álvarez is Head of Solar for the trade group Cámara Argentina de Energia Renovable (CADER). He has worked in the solar industry for 28 years. Mr. Álvarez is also a member of the Board of IRESUD, a public and private consortium to develop photovoltaic solar energy technologies which target urban areas of Argentina.

Dr. Peng Heng Chang - Member Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Association (Chinese Taipei)Dr. Peng Heng Chang is Chairman of the Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Association. He is also Chief Executive Officer at Motech Industries Inc. Dr. Chang previously served as a Vice President of Materials Management and Risk Manage-ment at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd. and both Vice President of Administration and Senior Director of Material Management at Worldwide Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Dr. Chang received his Ph.D. of Materials Engineering from Purdue University.

Global Solar Council NEWS 7KEY RELATIONSHIPS

SNEC 10th (2016) International Photovoltaic Power Generation Conference & ExhibitionConference: May 23-25, 2016 Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai

Exhibition: May 24-26, 2016 Shanghai New Int’l Expo Center

International Renewable Energy AgencyMember, Coalition for Action (COA) Steering

CommitteeChair, COA Solar Working Group

Terrawatt InitiativePartner

Clean Energy MinisterialMember, Multilateral Solar and Wind

Working Group

InterSolar Europe Exhibition: June 22-24, 2016 Conference: June 21-24 2016 Munich, Germany

Solar Power International September 12-15, 2016 Las Vegas Convention Center - North Hall & Westgate Hotel Las Vegas, NV

Global Solar Council Key Events

Global Solar Council Key Relationships

Building Strong International PartnershipsStrategic program and event partners will help drive our work to address climate change, spur economic development and alleviate poverty.

Global Solar Council NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS 8

Spain’s PV sector doubled its capacity in 2015, but got negatively affected by new regulationThe Spanish PV sector registered a discontinuous development trend in 2015: while in the first nine months of the year the sector saw the growth of the total solar capacity installed (+55% over 2014), the passing of the law of self-consumption by the Conservative party last October negatively affected the sector leading it to a severe paralysis in the remaining part of the year. In 2015 a total of 49MW were installed in Spain that represent only 0.09% of the total 51.000MW installed globally last year. This new capacity is distributed among self-consumption installations and off-the grid ones.

Given this situation, Spain falls behind other European countries that have decided to invest in the PV technology. Significant examples are the UK, where 4.000MW were installed in 2015; Germany, where 1.400MW were installed and France, where 1.100MW were installed last year.

According to the Photovoltaic Market Alliance, in 2015 the PV sector registered a record growth at a global level, as key countries such as China and Japan installed respectively 15.000MW and 10.000MW.

INDUSTRY NEWS

José Donoso Director General UNIÓN ESPAÑOLA FOTOVOLTAICA

Synopsis of REmap: IRENA’S Roadmap for a Renewable Energy FutureThe report finds that doubling renewables in the global energy mix by 2030 is feasible and cheaper than not doing so. Economic savings would exceed the costs by trillions of dollars. It would create more jobs, boost economic growth and save millions of lives annually through reduced air pollution. It would also, when coupled with greater energy efficiency, put the world on track to keep the rise of temperatures within 2°C, in line with the Paris Agreement.REmap offers concrete technology options and outlines solutions to accelerate renewable energy growth. The age of renewables is here. But without concerted action, they cannot reach their potential soon enough to meet international climate and development targets. For decision makers in the public and private sectors alike, this roadmap sends an alert — on the opportunities at hand and the costs of not taking them.

Related linksREmap report: http://ow.ly/Zi5U8Press release: http://bit.ly/251RZvQNewsroom post http://irenanewsroom.org/2016/03/17/doubling-renewables-can-save-trillions/ InfographicsPromote the report on social media using the hashtag #REmap. More infographics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/irenaimages/albums/72157654890726080https://flic.kr/p/Fjh7SG

Global Solar Council NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS 9

Down Under Digest – Solar News AustraliaThe best way to discover what’s happening in solar (and storage!) in Australia is to join us and ~5000 delegates at the Australian Solar Council’s 54th annual conference and exhibition in Melbourne on 4th & 5th May 2016 and let GSC Director Steve Blume know if you plan on attending – registration is free. Australia passed 5GW of solar PV installed capacity in late 2015. The majority is on the rooftops of 1.5m homes and businesses with residential installations comprising more than 90% and having an average system size of 4.5kW. There are a few large arrays ranging from 10MW in WA, a 20MW plant in the ACT, and two plants in NSW of 53MW and 102MW, but that’s about it.

This is about to change as a new Prime Minister took office in late 2015 and that saw the re-starting of a reduced Renewable Energy Target (RET) – requiring 33,000GWh of clean energy generation by 2020. Wind will gain much, but large scale solar PV proposals are well advanced with likely 5-7GW of new large scale capacity by 2020, rooftop solar will continue to grow at 700-900MW annually, and it is possible that one or more CSP plants will get financed too.

A number of States and the ACT have their own renewable energy targets for the electricity sector, the ACT has 90% by 2020 and 100% by 2025, Queensland has 50% by 2030, Victoria has not formalised its policy, but is expected to be 50% by 2030, South Australia has a 50% by 2025 and already has rooftop solar penetration at more than 30%.

GSC Members can look to Australia for

lessons on best practice PV installation as we have some of the lowest Balance of Systems (BoS) costs in the world for rooftop deployment. Australia is also a leader in remote and off-grid PV installations with more than 25 years of experience in harsh and hot desert conditions as well as deployment on Pacific islands and other tropical locations.

GSC Member the Australian Solar Council is seeking to assist the GSC in support of our friends in the South Pacific, who face the greatest imminent threats from

climate change. They are mainly developing countries who will also benefit greatly from a transition to PV generation from the costly diesel power systems they now rely upon. The GSCs MOUs and links to governments and aid funding bodies will be invaluable in that aim – with a focus on product quality and installation standards a common goal.

1 http://www.solarexpo.com.au2 http://pv-map.apvi.org.au/analyses and http://pv-map.apvi.org.au/live3 http://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/renewable-energy-target-scheme

GSC Launch John Smirnow CEO-GSC, Amanda McKenzie CEO Climate Council, Bruce Douglas Chair-GSC & Steve Blume ASC-GSC

South East Queensland Energex Solar

Global Solar Council NEWS LEADERSHIP PROFILE 10

Laura Azpilicueta is the London-based Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Business Development for EVASA, Board Member and Chairwomen of the Quality Committee for SOLARUNITED. Originally from Spain, she talks to Women Across Frontiers about working as an ex-ecutive in a male-dominated industry, and how solar energy figures in the future of our global needs.

Women Across Frontiers: How does it feel to be working as a woman in a male-domi-nated industry?

Laura Azpilicueta: You could say happy, al-though at times a bit lonely. I love my work. I would not change technical sales for any-thing. I love to travel and be in contact with people from different countries and cultures. I consider myself a very fortunate woman in that my work satisfies so many of my per-sonal as well as professional ambitions. But few women dedicate 75% of their time to travel, and that means that my core group of colleagues and friends are men. They are great and take very good care of me. We have discussions on just about everything, but obviously men and women are different. And at times I really miss having dinner with a female colleague.

I have to say that due to the fact that there are few of us women at this level in this market I believe it drives us to be more corporatist and work together to create a solid network for each other. It is worth it. We need to support and motivate younger women coming up in this field.

WAF: Have you experienced sexism in solar any more than in general life?

LA: Absolutely no. I believe, in fact, the con-trary is true. This is a relatively young mar-

ket that has a far more open viewpoint on everything. In solar, I can honestly say that I have had very good and positive experienc-es with the companies I have worked with at all levels including colleagues as well as with clients.

I am not sure if it is because I started my solar photovoltaic (PV) career with an Amer-ican company as the European Sales Man-ager. The U.S. is particularly open towards women in higher positions. My experience was a good one. I previously worked sales in Spain for the textile machinery sector, which is a tougher, more masculine-driven market. I feel unfortunately that my country is not yet ready to see women in higher corporate positions.

WAF: Are there cultural differences, such as if in you’re in your homeland Spain, or current work base England vs. doing your job in solar growth markets, such as the Middle East?

LA: When you decide to do work like what I do, you have to respect different cultures and know certain countries you will visit will impose restrictions on you because you are a woman, something as simple as not being allowed to move around certain places alone.

I have traveled all of Europe alone. We decided that strategically for the company I needed to set up base in London, and that was not a problem for me. I travel alone to most key trade fairs. Certain countries do not permit me this freedom because of my gender.

Something that has affected me as a wom-an – and as person – is to see in how I am treated by clients in certain countries versus how they treat and behave towards women, who are their own citizens. As a European and businesswoman, I am treated with a level of respect that they do not in turn impart of their own citizens. Clearly, there is a stark difference and inequality. Women aren’t considered equals in the workplace.

Once at a trade fair, one of my client’s quality engineer, a woman, hugged me and cried while we were alone at the end of a meeting because I had made an effort to speak to her. She told me I could be an example to many women, so they could see that a woman can and does have the same job, responsibility and professional status as a man. Moments like those make you

realize just how lucky we are to have been born into a society where we at least have a choices that we can make for ourselves as women.

There’s still lots of work that needs to be done, and as women we need to help each other and support one another. Equality will only be a reality when all women have the right to choose and decide for themselves how to proceed with their lives both person-ally and professionally in the same way that men do.

WAF: Are there women decision makers in the solar business?

LA: You will find women directors in labora-tory, quality control and marketing, although I believe there is still more that can be done. I am hopeful that we will see more women in positions of higher responsibility.

A study from the Peterson Institute for International Economics analyzed gender diversity more than 22,000 publicly traded companies in 91 countries in such sectors as industry, telecommunications, finance, health and energy. The study confirms that companies that have at least 30% pres-ence of women in high executive positions have 15% more profits than the companies that don’t have the same ratio of women in those positions.

Unfortunately, gender diversity is still an issue in industry. By the way, the highest percentage of female executives is in the finance sector and the lowest percentage in the logistics and energy sectors.

There are initiatives to promote gender equality in corporate positions. In the U.S., for example, the 2020 Women on Boards campaign aims to have at least a 20% female presence on boards by 2020. In the United Kingdom, the 30% Club has an objective of 30% of board members be women on the FTSE index.

WAF: To what extent will solar energy will help meet future global energy needs?

LA: There are several opinions as well as many economic interests at a global level.

Solar: It’s Mostly A Man’s WorldBy Larry Jaffee

LEADERSHIP PROFILE

Global Solar Council NEWS LEADERSHIP PROFILE 11

In November 2015, 196 nations assembled at the Paris Climate Change Conference, hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and pledged to limit greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

This agreement marks an extraordinary dip-lomatic feat that has eluded negotiators for decades. However, it is vague and aspira-tional, outlining no legally binding emissions cuts and no concrete pathways for how to achieve them.

In my opinion, the solar industry is ready with more efficiency modules, cells and installations within an affordable cost (the price for PV hardware, modules, racking, etc., has dropped by 60% in the past five years).

Before 2020, global demand growth for natural gas will surpass that for oil and coal as more sources of liquefied natural gas and shale gas become available. Eco-nomic growth will raise demand for coal in emerging economies. China consumes half the world’s coal, with which it powers more than 80% of its energy needs. Wind power will make strong gains in the US, the UK

and Germany, while solar power production will expand notably in America, Germany and China.

European analysts estimate renewable energy will account for 20% of the total demand of energy in 2020. Solar PV ranks third among renewable sources behind hydropower and wind, and already contrib-uted in 2014 1% of the electricity demand for the 29 countries that participate in the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Program. PV penetration is still higher in the EU (greater than 7% in Italy and Greece) and increasing elsewhere globally (2% in Australia and Japan).

Last year, the U.S. solar market experienced a year-over-year growth rate of 17% and, for the first time ever, solar beat out natural gas capacity additions, with solar supplying 29.5% of new electricity generation.

WAF: Tell us about your job as Senior VP of Global Sales & Business Development for EVASA, and what does the company manufacture?

LA: EVASA is a company that manufactures a part of the photovoltaic modules: the encapsulants that protect the cells. My work

involves the development and strategy for company expansion and growth, opening new markets and recruit representatives who can help us in every area we are aiming to grow. The relationship we have with our clients goes beyond simply custom-er-supplier. It is more of a partnership. We understand their needs and help them be competitive in their markets.

I oversee the sales team and technical support at our headquarters. To do my job, I must assist the principal trade fairs in the sector, conferences and visit client facto-ries all over the world. I currently head an industry initiative on quality at the global level, while there’s pressure to reduce costs in our sector. Solar energy is the technology of the future and we can only convince the end user it is the best option with quality products. I love my work in a sector that has the potential to do something great for the world.

This article first appeared in Women Across Frontiers, a feminist journal on-line at www.wafmag.org, and is reprinted here with permission.

Solar: It’s Mostly A Man’s World

Global Solar Council NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS 12

Pope Francis demonstrated to CADER his support towards the development of renewable energy in Argentina.After the 2015 General Papal Audience in Rome, Italy, Pope Francis communicated to Marcelo Álvarez, President of the Argentine Chamber of Renewable Energies (Cámara Argentina de Energías Renovables - CADER) his will to fight against the climate change, in favor of the development of clean energy in our country.

According to the Electricity Sector Executive Report developed by CADER, the electricity demand of the country until the year 2017 will need to incorporate 7,000 MV of new installed generation capacity: 5,000 MV to satisfy the expected demand and 2,000 MV to recover the electricity output.

A regards this need of extending the electricity capacity, Pope Francis explicitly stated his support for the development of clean energy, during a gathering with Marcelo Álvarez, President of CADER, in Rome, in the last General Papal Audience of 2015.

‘Francis generously received our documentation that suggests diversifying the energy matrix, showing a strong commitment to protect the environment. He warmly and heartily welcomed us, leaving a clear message of hope for the generations to come and highlighting the relevance of supporting renewable energy in Argentina and in the rest of the world’- Alvarez stated. In the Encyclical ‘Laudato si’’, Francis manifested the need to stop greenhouse gas emissions: ‘The development of new politics towards drastically reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide and other

highly contaminating gases in the next years, for example, by reducing the use of fuel and developing other sources of renewable energy, has become an urgent imperious matter’.

During the meeting, Álvarez stated his appreciation for the ideas and postulates mentioned in the Papal document: ‘We strongly think that this is a very influential incentive that allows to focus in the right direction towards the development of renewable energy. The members of CADER, take the Encyclic as a model and we hope that Argentina does the same too’.

Alvarez is optimistic regarding the local market, because of the imminent regulations of the Renewable Energy Law 27,191, issued by the Ministry of Energy: ‘Argentina has a huge potential as regards wind and solar power, and in the exploitation of the biomass that can help avoid the import of expensive and contaminating fossils, guaranteeing energy security’.

Due to this context, Alvarez stated: ‘We are witnessing a historic opportunity to make progress towards this goal, because

of the low costs of production that could be reached by the worldwide and national technologies. Any of the renewable variables that are available today is cheaper and more convenient than the electric power produced from imported fuel, used in Distributed Generation’.

In the current energetic emergency context, the Executive suggests to establish a regulatory frame that allows users to inject clean energy to the system, in order to decentralize the energy generation and lighten the electric charge in the electrical grid. ‘This is one of the biggest challenges to be faced in Argentina’- Alvarez stated.

‘Francis warmly and heartily welcomed us, leaving a clear message of hope for the generations to come and highlighting the relevance of supporting renewable energy in Argentina and in the rest of the world’

According to the Executive Report issued by CADER to the authorities, in 2014, the state assigned US$1,240 millions to cover the shortage in the areas that require more electric energy, just for imported fuel, without internal revenues. ‘If we take advantage of the renewable energy huge potential, we could avoid spending all this money, we could also increase our installed capacity, and therefore generate more work centers’- he explained.

Global Solar Council NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS 13

SOLARUNITED initiates Quality Workshop covering the complete global PV value chain SOLARUNITED (formally known as International Photovoltaic Equipment Association, IPVEA) today announced the formation of a unique initiative which intends to create a convergence throughout the PV industry regarding quality. The PV Quality Committee aims to link the different sectors of the value chain, in order to ensure PV plant quality everywhere around the globe. The working group will coordinate the quality-oriented activities of SOLARUNITED, ensuring the coherent management of relevant activities by SOLARUNITED and its members. SO-LARUNITED is setting up a limited number of Quality Working Groups with the purpose of gathering expertise from the entire PV value chain on specific issues related to PV and reliability.

The Quality Committee was developed in collaboration with the Becquerel Institute, Belgium. To cover the entire PV value chain, SOLARUNITED partners with several existing initiatives and re-search projects focusing on quality.

Committee headed by Laura Azpilicueta The PV Quality Committee will be chaired by Laura Azpilicueta, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Business Development of EVASA. She will be supported by Co-chairman Dr. Nabih Cherradi, Chief Technical Officer of Desert Technologies. The coordination of the Committee Work Group will be done by Gaëtan Masson, Direc-tor Becquerel Institute.

SOLARUNITED invites companies, partners and experts from R & D related to the PV industry to participate actively in the quality working group. The working group is set up for a fixed period of one year. Participating companies have recourse to the results free of charge. First results will be presented at the PV Production, Quality, and Innovation Forum 2016, which will be held in the frame of the EU PVSEC 2016 in Munich, Germany on Wednesday, June 22, 2016.

For more information please visit the website http://www.solar-united.org

BSW-Solar’s expertise helps opening up Iranian and Argentinian PV marketSince the economic sanctions against Iran were recently lifted, chances for foreign investors open in one of the potentially largest PV markets of the middle east. A new feed in-tariff for wind and solar energy favor

this development. The German Solar Association (BSW-Solar) investigated between october and december 2015 the market conditions for small and large PV projects in Iran. The study “Enabling PV Iran” is a comprehen-sive investor guideline for potential foreign market participants to ease the market entry. The project was financed by the federal foreign

office with support from the Iran-Wind-Group and the consulting companies eclareon and Pflüger International and was imple-mented by BSW-Solar. Also the new Argentinian PV market was investigated in a similar project, called “Enabling PV in Argentina”. The new investment conditions and the will of utilities and grid operators to erect large-scale PV power plants attract EPCs from around the world.

Further information: https://www.solarwirtschaft.de/enabling-pv.html

Jörg Mayer Managing Director German Solar Industry Association

Global Solar Council NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS 14

Italy: the reform of the tariff system for power usersby Federico Brucciani & Gianni Chianetta – Italia Solare

In 2015, the Italian Authority for Power, Gas and Water Services (AEEGSI) started a reform of the tariff system for power users. The first segment concerned has been that of the domestic users (residential or not); the reform began with a public consultation document, the DICO 293/2015, with which the AEEGSI has submitted to the stakeholders the first guidelines of the reform.

Such guidelines appeared since the begin-ning inadequate to the achievement of the goals outlined by the norms that inspired the reform, and completely disconnected from social, environmental, economic and productive requirements.

The main criticity of DICO 293/2015 – unfor-tunately confirmed by the reform officialised by Deliberation 582/2015 - concerns grid charges: their progressiveness will disap-pear. On top of that, grid charges are going to be shifted from the variable to the fixed component.

With the reform enacted in January 2016, and be effective from 2018, the AEEGS has introduced a mechanism aiming at:

� Creating a disincentive to energy efficiency, since the portion to be paid for the grid charges component is not related to consumption;

� Increasing the energy costs for the majority of domestic users;

� Increasing the use of power from the grid, which – in spite of growth of renewables over the last few years – is still being produced mostly by the large conventional power plants, using fossils fuels.

� Severely hindering the opportunity of decentralizing power production for self-consumption, which would be carbon free because it employs renewable energy.

The impact on decentralized power gener-ation, particularly from solar PV, is heavy. According to the estimates released by the specialized sector magazine Qualenergia.it:

1. Domestic clients with installed capacity of 3 kWh, who – thanks to the self-con-sumption from PV corresponding to 35% of total consumption – could reduce power supply from the grid from 3,400 to 2,200 kWh/y. With the current tariffs, he will be penalized with € 170 per year, with respect to the current situation.

2. Resident clients with higher consumption, for whom – thanks a self-consumption corresponding to 41% of total consump-tion - the supply from the grid could be reduced from 5,000 to 2,900 kWh/y. For him, the possible saving will be halved, decreasing from 550 to about 270 €/y.

According to ITALIA SOLARE, this is more a political choice than a reform of the tariff system, a political choice, which – apart from going against to the current European and national framework – is harmful to envi-ronment and public health, and detrimental to many citizens, already heavily impacted by the economic crisis.

ITALIA SOLARE, together with other associ-ations, strongly but constructively objected to this reform, by means of various meet-ings with the top management of AEEGSI, with representatives of the Italian Gov-ernment and Parliament and with a public seminar to present and debate proposals for a future-oriented tariff system.

The reform has anyway entered into force on January 1st 2016, but ITALIA SOLARE continues its battle. We have presented two complaints, one to the European Union, the other to the Italian Competition Authority, and have launched an online awareness campaign by means of a petition. We are

going to present a judiciary complaint to the TAR, Italy’s Regional Administrative Court.

In the meantime, the Government has pre-pared the ground for the AEEGSI to change the entire tariff system also for all other users: industrial and commercial at medium voltage. And it has done that by requesting the Parliament’s confidence to the Decree ‘Mille-Proroghe’ (=“Thousand Proroga-tions”). An article inserted into it foresees that, also for the high and medium voltage clients, the general grid charges, which are the most important component of the power tariffs, won’t be charged only on the basis of power consumption. This is exactly the replica of what has been done for the low voltage clients.

This norm is completely unrelated to the Mille-Proroghe decree, as it doesn’t refer to any term to be prorogated and as it com-pletely lacks the requisites of urgency and necessity required by art.76 of the Italian Constitution.

ITALIA Solare, now the the ball is again the AEEGSI’s court for the details of the reform, will continue its action to try and obtain a suspension of the effectiveness of those measures, which – and not in our opinion only – look towards the past rather than towards the future.

Gianni Chianetta, ITALIA SOLARE

Head Inter. Aff. ItaliaSolare

Global Solar Council NEWS TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTION 15

The method was developed for hematite (iron-oxide, Fe2O3) cells meant for hydrogen production via water splitting, but could achieve its goal for other types of cells as well. In addition, only simple optical materials were used, adding to the sustainability and cost effectiveness of this approach. Research was conducted by a joint team headed by Professor Avner Rothschild from the Material Science and Engineering Department of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and by Dr. Avi Niv from the Energy and Environmental Physics Department of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Their findings were just published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A in an article entitled “Separation of Light Confinement and Absorption Sites for Enhancing Solar Water Splitting.”

“Finding a way to harness ray optics for boosting the absorption of ultrathin cells, as was done here, could have a large impact on the future of solar cells,” says Niv.

One of the ways of increasing the cost effectiveness of solar cells is by reducing the thickness of their active light absorbing layers, the part of the cell that turns light into electricity. The challenge is therefore to have a thinner absorber but to sustain significant overall absorptivity. To meet this challenge, optical trapping methods were devised. Trapping the light within the interior of the cell causes a longer effective beam path through the active layer, which in turn raises the absorptivity. For more than four decades now, improvement in light trapping went hand in hand with thinner cells that were cheaper and more efficient.

For the next generation of solar cells, however, more power at lower costs is expected. These demands are often met by considering active layers thinner than the typical wavelength of sunlight itself. The problem is that in such thin layers light behaves as a wave, rendering ray-based trapping ineffective. For this reason light trapping methods that are based on the wave nature of light emerged. While impressive progress has been made in the field,

none of the results so far rival ray optics when it comes to utility. Thus, the researchers returned to ray optics and managed to develop a new method that combines ray-based trapping with wave optics absorption. This goal was achieved by structural separation of the trapping and absorption sites within the cell. Light is first trapped in a lossless thick substrate layer that later feeds the absorption in a deep subwavelength active hematite layer. Enhancements of more than 30% in the power production of the cell were shown using this approach. Researchers also predict that even higher enhancements are in fact possible, reaching more than 40%.

TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTION BGU and Technion Scientists Make Breakthrough in Boosting Solar Cell Power30 percent increase obtained using a new light trapping techniqueGreen Energy Association of Israel (GEA-IL)

Eitan Parnass is the founder & CEO of the Green Energy Association of Israel (GEA-IL)

A new light trapping technique has enabled more than 30% power enhancement of an ultrathin solar cell, according to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers.

For more information:Dr. Avi Nivaviniv@bgu.ac.ilbgu.academia.edu/AviNiv

Related paper: A. Niv, M. Gross Koren, H. Dotan, G. Bartal and, A. Rothschild “Separation of light confinement and absorption sites for enhancing solar water splitting”, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C5TA06972F

Global Solar Council NEWS MEMBER CONTRIBUTION 16

SOLARPOWER EUROPE: REPORT

2015: A Positive Year for SolarIn 2015, solar grew by 15% in Europe connecting 8 GW of solar power to the grid. Global grid-connected solar increased by 25% to an estimated 50.1 GW in 2015, from 40.2 GW in 2014, shows figures from SolarPower Europe’s 2015 Market Report. “2015 was an extremely successful year for solar and after 3 consecutive years of decline in Europe it is especially encouraging to see the sector grow again” says Oliver Schafer, President of SolarPower Europe.The base for Europe’s solar power demand in 2015 derived from mainly 3 countries - UK, Germany and France. These top 3 markets counted for 75% of the connections, equal to 5.3 GW. In 2014 their share was also 75%, but equal to 6 GW. For the second year in a row, the UK took first place with an estimated 3.7 GW.With nearly 100 GW of installed capacity, Europe is still the most solarised continent. No other region can boast solar shares as

high as Europe - on average nearly 4% of electricity consumption and in its most mature markets, such as Germany, Greece and Italy, around 8%.“The challenge is now to quickly master the transition phase - from European solar markets that grew on very high premium feed-in tariff incentives, to new market-based frameworks, where prosumers use solar power for self-consumption in residential, commercial and industrial sectors. We must now create a smart market design that builds on the strengths of the solar power technology to be able to profit from the low cost solar has achieved,” says James Watson, CEO of SolarPower Europe.

On a global level, new solar power capacity increased by 25%, adding 50 GW in 2015. An estimate 228 GW of solar power are now installed in the world, up from 178 GW in 2014. The two biggest markets are again located in Asia - China and Japan, the US ranked third. China not only added more than twice as much solar as Europe, it also exceeded 40 GW of total installed capacity, taking over the No. 1 country place from longtime leader Germany.SolarPower Europe is unique in comparison to other market analysts because it examines grid-connected solar rather than product shipments or installations.

Opportunities for SolarPower Europe Members in AlgeriaBy James Watson, Chief Executive Officer

On 19 January, SolarPower Europe attended a meeting of the European Union-Algeria energy partnership, in which the Algerian government, represented at Ministerial level, outlined the huge plans they have for solar in the coming years. Moving from an installed capacity of about 300MW today, the Algerian government have instituted a target of nearly 14GW by 2030. This has a legal and supportive framework around it, to ensure achievement of the target.

The Algerian government is looking for European companies to work in Algeria to develop the solar projects. In light of this SolarPower Europe members are invited to a meeting in Algiers organized by the European Commission and the Algerian Government on 23 and 24 May 2016.If you would like to attend and explore this opportunity, please contact James Watson on j.watson@solarpowereurope.org

Global Solar Council NEWS TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTION 17

Industry Data - Highlights

Global Solar Council NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS 18

Global Solar Council Associate Events

Call for Participation is now open for the EuroSun 2016

We invite you to submit abstracts for the 11th International Solar Energy Society (ISES) EuroSun2016 conference, being hosted this year by the University of the Balearic Islands. EuroSun2016 will take place in the Hotel Palas Atenea, Palma de Mallorca on the 11 to 14 October 2016. The conference theme is «Solar Energy for Buildings and Industry”. During the event, there will topic sessions, keynote speakers, plenary sessions and open discussion forums, as well as social events where you will have the opportunity to network, to meet old friends and to make new contacts.

The Call for Participation is open until April 7 2016. Submit your abstracts online at eurosun2016.org.

Conference Topics include:�� Solar Architecture and Net Zero Energy Buildings�� Solar Heat for Industrial Processes.�� Thermal Storage�� Solar Thermal Systems: Domestic Hot Water, Space Heating and Cooling

�� Solar Assisted District Heating and Cooling and Large Scale Ap-plications

�� Testing & Certification�� Solar Thermal Collectors and Solar Loop Components�� PV and PVT systems for buildings and industry�� Solar Resource and Energy Meteorology �� Solar Education�� Renewable Energy Strategies and Policies

Publication of Proceedings:Accepted papers presented at the EuroSun 2016 will be published in the ISES online open-access conference proceedings database. All papers published will be assigned a DOI.

Authors of a selection of highest quality papers from each theme, as determined by the Theme Chairs, will be recommended to sub-mit their papers to Solar Energy, the official ISES scientific journal. All papers submitted to the Solar Energy journal undergo a rigorous review process.

Key dates: 07 April 2016 - Deadline abstract submission June 2016 - Notification of acceptance 15 July 2016 - Deadline early bird registration 15 August 2016 - Deadline author registration 27 September 2016 - Deadline full papers submission

German Federal Government to host 2nd Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue in March – BSW-Solar in the organizing committee

To put the results of COP21 without delay into applicable concepts for an intelligent, sustainable and cost-efficient energy transition, the German Federal Government invites the international energy elite for the second time to Berlin from March 17 to 18. The Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue is the pivotal international energy tran-sition summit, facilitating an in-depth high-level dialogue for the transition towards a secure, ecologically friendly and economically successful energy system based on renewable energy and energy efficiency. The German Solar Association (BSW-Solar) has a leading role in the organizing committee of the “Energiewende”-Confer-ence from the beginning on. BSW-Solar also was initiator of this forward-looking event. Member companies can take part in the discussion and get in touch with international decision-makers and stakeholders. This is a perfect set for matchmaking and new cooperation.

With a focus on international energy stakeholders, the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue aims to strengthen the intergovernmental dialogue as well as to foster the exchange between high-level deci-sion-makers from governments and regulatory bodies and leaders of businesses, associations, science and academia as well as NGOs and civil society who are active in promoting the implemen-tation of energy transitions in their respective countries.

Many of the world’s challenges and opportunities are directly or indirectly related to energy. Innovations and declining costs in the renewable energy sector and an increase in energy efficiency en-able more regions in the world to partake in industrial and econom-ic growth in a sustainable matter. This growth, however, can only be ensured with a reliable, environmental friendly and cost-effective supply of affordable energy. Climate change and the dependency on fossil resources demonstrate clearly that sustainable ways must be found to cover the ever growing demand for energy. Around the world, most countries have already initiated energy programs with the goal of expanding the share of regenerative energy sources and increasing energy efficiency; some are implementing energy transitions.

As the central international summit on renewable energy and ener-gy efficiency policy, the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue provides an excellent platform to meet and share experiences with key energy sector decision-makers from all over the world. In the pro-cess, it will stimulate a dialogue that will help us learn from proven solutions and best practices worldwide.

Further information: https://www.energiewende2016.com/

This newsletter is issued on behalf of the Global Solar Council (GSC). GSC has used its best efforts to ensure that all the information in this publication is upto-date. Any warranty to the correct-ness and actuality can not be assumed. GSC reserves the right to make changes or additions to the information made available at any time without notice. © 2016 Global Solar Council . All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of GSC. Global Solar Council, 1717 K Street, NW, Suite 1120, Washington, DC 20006, USA www.globalsolarcouncil.com